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What is a USD salary worth in Latin America today?
Enter a monthly salary in US dollars. You get the amount in local currency at the latest official exchange rate in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, how inflation and the exchange rate changed what it buys over the last 12 months, and what it buys compared with US cities.
ARS 8,481,000 a month
In Argentina, $5,500 a month is ARS 8,481,000 at the latest official rate (Oct 28), or ARS 8,652,050 at the MEP rate. Prices rose 33.4% in the 12 months to September 2026 while the dollar rose 9.9%, so the same USD salary buys 17.6% less than a year earlier. Locally it buys roughly what $9,620 buys in the average US city, or $11,122 in San Francisco.
The map: nine countries side by side
Pick a measure, then hover or tap a country for its numbers. Click one to open it in the converter above.
USD salary buying power, 12 months
Live hiring indicators by country
The same monthly salary in all nine countries. Exchange rates update every day; inflation updates when each country publishes its monthly figure.
| Country | USD exchange rate | $5,500 a month | Inflation, 12 months | Inflation, last month | USD salary buying power, 12 months | Buys what this buys in the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 1,542ARS · Oct 28MEP 1,573 | ARS 8,481,000MEP ARS 8,652,050 | 33.4%Sep 2026 | 1.9% | −17.6%to Sep 2026 | $9,620prices 57% of US |
| Brazil | 5.342BRL · Oct 28 | BRL 29,381 | 4.6%Sep 2026 | 0.8% | −6.9%to Sep 2026 | $11,293prices 49% of US |
| Mexico | 18.65MXN · Oct 28 | MXN 102,589 | 3.5%Sep 2026 | 0.4% | −4.8%to Sep 2026 | $9,129prices 60% of US |
| Colombia | 3,162COP · Oct 29 | COP 17,392,925 | 6.3%Sep 2026 | 0.4% | −19.4%to Sep 2026 | $10,187prices 54% of US |
| Chile | 981.08CLP · Oct 29 | CLP 5,395,940 | 4.1%Sep 2026 | 0.4% | −3.0%to Sep 2026 | $11,052prices 50% of US |
| Costa Rica | 453.34CRC · Oct 28 | CRC 2,493,343 | 0.3%Sep 2026 | 0.1% | −9.7%to Sep 2026 | $8,352prices 66% of US |
| Uruguay | 40.10UYU · Oct 28 | UYU 220,528 | 4.3%Jul 2026 | 0.1% | −4.2%to Jul 2026 | $7,342prices 75% of US |
| El Salvador | USDDollarized | USD 5,500 | 2.5%Jul 2026 | 0.1% | −2.4%to Jul 2026 | $11,813prices 47% of US |
| Dominican Republic | 60.79DOP · Oct 28 | DOP 334,320 | 5.5%Jul 2026 | 0.2% | −9.9%to Jul 2026 | $13,850prices 40% of US |
What these numbers mean when you hire
- Paying in US dollars. When local prices rise faster than the dollar, the same salary buys less every month. A clearly negative figure in the buying power column is when raise requests start, even though the dollar amount never changed.
- Paying in local currency. You carry the exchange rate. If salaries follow inflation and the currency moves less than prices, your cost in dollars rises by about as much as a USD salary loses in buying power.
- Comparing countries. The last column shows what a salary is worth to the person who receives it. Two offers with the same dollar amount can buy very different lives, and candidates compare on that.
- Budgeting. Plan with the trend, not one day's rate. In high-inflation markets, review salaries more than once a year.
To see the full employer cost of a hire, with payroll taxes and benefits, use the LATAM hiring cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How often is the data updated?
Exchange rates are checked twice a day against each country's official publisher. Inflation changes once a month, when each statistics office releases its consumer price index, usually in the first two weeks of the following month. Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Costa Rica come through the OECD, which can add a few weeks; Uruguay, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic come from the World Bank's monthly monitor, two to three months behind. Every number on the page shows its own date.
Which exchange rate do you use for Argentina?
The BCRA's official wholesale reference rate (Comunicación A 3500). We also show the MEP rate, the legal market rate many people paid in dollars use to convert. Since exchange controls for individuals were lifted, the gap between the two has been small, but it has been very large in the past.
Why is there no exchange rate for El Salvador?
El Salvador has used the US dollar as legal tender since 2001 (Ley de Integración Monetaria), so a USD salary is paid as is. Its buying power changes only with local inflation.
Where does the Dominican peso rate come from?
From a daily market reference rate. The Banco Central de la República Dominicana only opens its data feed on written request, and the market reference tracks its official rate closely. Uruguay uses the Banco Central del Uruguay's interbank rate.
What does “USD salary buying power, 12 months” mean?
It compares how much the dollar rose against the local currency with how much local prices rose over the same 12 months. If prices rose 30% and the dollar rose 15%, a salary fixed in US dollars buys about 12% less than a year earlier: 1.15 ÷ 1.30 − 1 = −11.5%. That is the number behind most raise requests from people paid in dollars.
What changes if I pay in local currency instead?
You take on the exchange rate. If salaries follow inflation and the currency moves less than prices, your cost in dollars rises by about as much as a USD salary would lose in buying power. If the currency falls faster than prices rise, your cost in dollars goes down.
How is “buys what this buys in the US” calculated?
With purchasing power parity: the World Bank's PPP conversion factor for household consumption, updated every month with local and US inflation, and the BEA's regional price parities for US metro areas. It reflects the average household's basket. People who spend more on imported goods, electronics and travel, which cost about the same everywhere, will find the gap smaller, so treat it as an upper bound.
Can I use or cite this data?
Yes. Please credit IT Mates and link to this page. The raw data is available as JSON at itmates.io/api/indicators.
Methodology and sources
Exchange rates are the latest official reference rate in each country, in local currency per US dollar, read twice a day from the publisher or its official open-data portal. When a source is down the page uses the next one and names it below. Inflation is the 12-month change in the national consumer price index. “USD salary buying power” is (1 + change in the dollar) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1 over the same 12 months, using the exchange rate at the end of each month. “Buys what this buys in the US” divides the salary by the price level: the World Bank PPP factor for household consumption, rolled forward with local and US inflation, over today's exchange rate. Estimates for planning, not financial or tax advice.
Sources behind the numbers on this page right now:
- BCRA, reference rate (Comunicación A 3500)
- DolarApi.com (Argentine market quotes)
- INDEC (IPC), via datos.gob.ar and BCRA
- Banco Central do Brasil (PTAX)
- IBGE (IPCA), via Banco Central do Brasil
- Diario Oficial de la Federación (FIX)
- OECD, Consumer price indices
- Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (TRM), datos.gov.co
- Banco Central de Chile (dólar observado), via mindicador.cl
- Banco Central de Costa Rica reference rate, via Ministerio de Hacienda
- Exchange API (fawazahmed0): market reference rates
- Banco Central del Uruguay (interbank US dollar)
- World Bank Global Economic Monitor (monthly CPI)
- El Salvador uses the US dollar (Ley de Integración Monetaria, 2001)
- World Bank ICP, PPP conversion factor for household consumption (PA.NUS.PRVT.PP)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by metro area, via FRED
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Exchange rates and inflation come from public sources and can be revised. Estimates for planning only, not financial or tax advice.